Beyond help
by Bounty Hunter Darcy
Summary: One of my many OCs deals with the trials and tribulations of finding an old flame.
1. Chapter 1

Beyond help- fact sheet

Author: KoriSevenEleven

This fact sheet contains info on Kori, including her aliases, superpowers, super suit, and other basic information.

Basic information

Name: Kori M. Levin

Age: 16 (I)

D.O.B: July 21, 2024 (II)

Hairstyle: Shaggy; choppily cut; reaches upper back (III)

Hair/Eye color: Black/Blue

Blood Type: Unknown

Living family:

Younger twin brother

Father (whereabouts unknown)

Bruce Wayne (adopted father)

Superhero information

Name: Morphinja

Abilities:

Morphing, though this seems limited to humans and animals only and has a two-hour time limit per morph.

Soundproof/Invisibility Veil. These two are usually used together, and are only able to be taken down by the person who cast them though an earthquake is able to shatter them because the veil only covers the area she is in from 200 feet up to the ground.

Flying; no one knows for sure if she can actually fly since on windy days she activates a stretch of material normally hidden in her suit and is able to fly, though one witness claims to have seen her flying without the use of the extra material on a windless day.

Telepathy (can communicate in 'thought-speak' with one or multiple persons through these means.)

Is rumored to be able to talk to animals in both thought-speak and animal speech though no reliable sources have actually proven this.

Mind reading (actually is able to read the fluctuations in brain waves and distinguish in which part of the brain they are originating).

Attack reading (like mind reading, except she can visualize what her opponent's next attack will be before they even know).

Suit (layout): 

Top- Midnight blue spandex one-piece suit w/ black Windmill Shuriken design on chest.

Shoes- Form fitting black boots that reach mid-calf.

Masks (if any) - Black mask that covers eyes; leaving forehead, cheeks, nose and mouth free (like Robin's {First Robin})

Capes (if any) - N/A

Gloves (if any) – Black gloves that reach the elbow.

Gadgets/Gear used: 

Smokescreen balls (though these are rarely used since she prefers to fight with her own strength.)

Retractable staff (7 feet at maximum, half an inch at minimum; developed after the death of Bruce by Kori herself).

Mp3 player set to 'shuffle' but actually switches songs depending on Kori's mood (er…unknown why this is used, but the technology was developed by Bruce Wayne about a year prior to his death strictly for her since, as she claims, "Music enhances my fighting ability.")

Suit capabilities: 

1) Flexing claws on gloves (these are actually believed to be her natural claws though no one but Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson have seen her without her suit).

2) Extra fold of material to enhance flight (debatable. See 'Abilities' for full story).

3) Completely conforms to body.

4) Disappearing qualities (completely vanishes when she morphs then reappears when the morph is dropped as reappearing naked would probably provide a good distraction but she would also be vulnerable to attack).

5) Waterproof, bulletproof, radiation proof (Bruce Wayne mastered this shortly before his death), electric proof (to a certain voltage), heat/cold proof (to a certain degree).

6) Able to take severe damage without tearing.

7) With holds body heat (because crime doesn't rest, even in the winter).

8) Built in miniature AC system (because crime doesn't rest, even in intense heat).

9) Spandex boots have a thick inner lining that repels water and also enhances her 'intimidation factor' as she calls it (as the inner sole of the boot has an extra inch that her foot rests on).

10) Built in button on the side of the mask that, when pressed, allows the wearer to see infrared light, ultraviolet light and sound waves with a different press each time (like the Batsuit in Batman Beyond except the Batsuit doesn't have a button); also allows wearer to see in the dark.

Aliases:

'K'- Unknown how this came to be, but is most likely an endearment.

SevenEleven- Kori recalls her younger twin brother calling her this after she successfully goes through 18 morphs in 30 minutes (this was back before either of them really learned to count past 11).

The Orphan- A nickname given to her by teenagers at the high school she attends.

Ebola- also a nickname given to her by teenagers at school which was started when a girl walked in on her in the bathroom and she had to hastily pretend that she was throwing up (actually coughing up blood which mixed in with the stomach acid). The girl asked, "What do you have some form of Ebola?" and Kori replied "Yes, I do. Wanna make out?" (Since Ebola is passed when someone comes in contact with an infected person's bodily fluids, i.e. saliva.)

Twip- actually a commonly used slang term. The only person who she actually allows to call her this is Terry McGinnis since he once told her that he uses it as a playful endearment, though he pretends she doesn't exist whenever his girlfriend or friends are around and only really talks to her whenever he's at Wayne Manor.

(I): Actual age is 125 though she maintains her teenage looks and actually takes the extra measure of attending Hamilton Hill High School where she 'meets' Terry (having already met him when he came into the employ of Bruce Wayne, though he doesn't know her whole story.)

(II): Date of Birth is actually July 21, 1915, though no one seems to know where she was born.

(III): Only looks this way while in human morph. To really complete the picture of 'troubled teenager', she is always at least 10 minutes late to her next class, sometimes skipping whole classes, but this is merely to morph to her actual appearance so as she doesn't get stuck in her 'other body' permanently. (Bruce Wayne actually sent periodic notes to the school's principal saying that she has a rare disease that causes her to be violently sick if she is immobile [like in class] for longer than an hour, thus giving her ample time to demorph, then remorph between classes). She actually looks very similar to Dick Grayson when he becomes Nightwing when she isn't in her teenage girl morph.


	2. Chapter 2

Beyond help

Author: KoriSevenEleven

Summary: Kori is a unique girl…she has morphing powers, she is actually well over 100 years old though she looks 16…and she's got some serious boy problems.

Prologue

Shaggy black hair rippled in the wind as a figure stood atop the stone column of Gotham City's War Veteran memorial cemetery. The figure was slim, built along the lines of a finely muscled teenage boy and a mask covered its eyes. It stepped down from the column and walked to the very back of the cemetery where only the greatest heroes were buried, not sparing a glance at the other fallen heroes.

'_You're the only one who can bring him to his senses…bring him back by force if necessary…he needs to see the truth before he does something drastic…'_

'Too late for that,' the figure thought, finally coming to a halt in front of the desired gravestone.

It was customary in this cemetery to have a regular curved gravestone, but this one in particular was of a large angel, her hands outstretched with a large bat sitting in her palms, its wings outstretched.

A finely boned gloved hand reached up and touched the bat; fingers lingering over its eyes which were made of diamond hard rubies.

"I'm so sorry…I couldn't bring him back to us like you asked…but…"

The figure withdrew its hand and allowed it to make a fist as its eyes fell on the name carved onto the gravestone.

"Even if he is beyond help, I swear I'll bring him back…even if I have to break every bone in his body…hopefully I won't have to resort to such violent means, but if it's absolutely necessary…I will."

The figure moved its bangs aside and revealed a scar that spanned its entire forehead… a result of its training with the Batarangs.

"After all, I was taught by the best…master Bruce."

The figure touched the named carved into the marker one last time, then turned, spread its arms and leapt into the night.

The light of the full moon reflected off the gravestone, and the name was visible.

_Bruce Wayne_

_1938-2040_

_May his memory live on in the hearts of those he has saved and all of his friends._


	3. Chapter 3

Beyond help

Author: KoriSevenEleven

Summary: Kori is a unique girl…she has morphing powers, she is actually well over 100 years old though she looks 16…and she's got some serious boy problems.

Chapter 01

I had no leads.

I couldn't pick up his scent.

I was lost in the worst possible area of Gotham city.

Yeah, but fortunately, these things are trivial. I looked around my surroundings and saw that I was in a darkened alley. The only living things I saw were the rats that were scurrying around in the dumpster which was overflowing with week-old garbage. I felt the strong urge to vomit and left the alley.

I shook my bangs out of my eyes and looked around the empty street. It seemed empty to the naked eye, so, with the technology that my late mentor made for me, I pressed the almost invisible button on the side of my mask, activating the ultraviolet light.

I looked down at the sidewalk and street and was surprised to see what looked like bloody footprints heading off down the sidewalk toward yet another empty alley (someone had obviously either wanted to cover their footprints or one of the shop owners cleaned it before I got there). I furrowed my brow and followed them cautiously until I was standing in the alley's entrance.

At the very end was a group of thugs rolling dice and, surprise, there was what looked like dried blood on the sole of one of the man's shoes. I quietly bent down and gently dipped my gloved finger into one of the footprints that had not been cleaned and held it to my nose.

At once, a stream of visions flashed before my eyes and I had to fight to control them.

A dark-haired figure in a fight with a possible informant, bleeding from the side…

A blurred picture of what looked like a bird with its wings outstretched…

Two shadows falling from a rigged trapeze…

My eyes flashed open.

Yes, this was the blood of the one I was looking for. I stood and walked to the end of the alley, crossing my arms over my chest and saying,

"Excuse me gentlemen…"

The thugs immediately looked around at me and gasped.

"Y-You're that morpher! That bat freak's lackey!"

I blinked politely and said,

"You know who I am? I'm touched…however…"

I flexed my claws and grabbed the one who had spoken by the collar and pushed him up against the wall, holding the other down by forcefully placing my foot at his throat, giving him only enough air to take wheezy gasps.

"You slandered my master's good name…and for that, you'll have to pay…unless I get some information…"

"W-What information? If it's about the dice, then…"

"Shut it! It's not about your stupid gambling! The information I want is about a man who calls himself 'Nightwing'."

The man I was holding looked around and said,

"I-I don't know nothin' about no Nightwing! Honest!"

I scoffed.

"As if a gangster could ever hope to be honest, now tell me how…"

A surprising blow on the back of my head caused me to lose my grip and I fell to my knees. The man on the ground was laughing and looking at someone behind me.

"Alright! 'Bout time you showed up, we was getting' the third degree from this here freak!"

"Came as soon as I could."

I whipped around and clawed at the man holding the metal pipe and managed to tear holes in his pants…guess I had underestimated the distance between him and me…if only my mentor had seen that screw-up…

Before I could even blink, they were raining blow after blow onto me, giving me no time to morph, so I fought back with my fists.

Even with my natural abilities, I was still outnumbered three to one and losing. Just as I vaulted over the dumpster and landed a kick to one of the thug's heads, something fell onto the scene that I hadn't counted on.

A smokescreen ball.

It burst open immediately and filled the narrow alley way with pitch black smoke, causing me to cough and cover my mouth and nose. I hastily hit the button on my mask and switched it to infrared.

Much to my surprise, I found that the smoke seemed to have an actual form. It was thick and dense, effectively obscuring even my infrared vision. I switched the vision to the sound wave detection and once again found that it was useless. Just as I was going to switch it back to ultraviolet, I sustained another heavy blow to my head, and I passed out.

When I woke, I saw that I was in what looked like an abandoned sewer main. It reminded me of the room that belonged to the Rat boy, just less cluttered. I was on a surprisingly comfortable bed and my mask was off…as well as my suit…

I bolted upright in bed and looked around for it, relying on my sense of smell since the suit smelled like Egyptian cotton, the fabric it was made from.

"Lay back down, you'll only succeed in hurting yourself."

I gasped at the voice and made to stand up but was forced back down by a strong hand. I growled like a caged animal and grabbed a hold of the arm that was moving away from me, pulling it to me.

A tall, well built man stepped out from the shadow that he had been hiding in (more like fell out since I had pulled his arm) and I felt my breath catch.

The man was dressed in a snug black suit with a blue bird with outstretched wings on the chest, a mask much like my own and long black hair that fell past his shoulders.

"Robin," I said.

He looked to the side and said,

"I'm Nightwing now."

I stood and pulled his face around to face mine, gently but firmly.

"You'll always be Robin to me," I said.

He was silent at first and I thought that I had angered him. I've faced an angry Robin plenty of times, but never an angry Nightwing. I slowly backed away one step before he grabbed me and pulled me close to him. I stiffened but the familiar feel of his body heat, the steady beat of his heart…they both caused me to relax to the point of being boneless in his iron grip.

I placed my hands, palm down, on his chest and rested my cheek on his shoulder, breathing in his familiar scent. Frankincense and sandalwood…the two scents that best helped with depression and were often used in his baths as a kid when he was still recovering from the death of his parents.

"You smell the same," I said.

There was a low sound in his throat that could have been a laugh but he didn't laugh very often when I knew him so I dismissed it.

"You too…Clary sage and Neroli…still suffering from anxiety and insomnia, I take it?"

I nodded. That's how Robin and I used to be able to identify each other amongst the thousands of people in the city. Sure, a lot of people used sandalwood, but only Robin used it with frankincense…just as I was the only one in Gotham who used Clary sage (only Bruce was able to get it because both Robin and I were seen as 'troubled children' who the doctors thought would benefit from its use.)

He slowly let me go, dropping his hands down to the small of my back, a gesture that suggested that he still harbored a soft spot for me.

In turn, I wrapped my arms around his neck and tucked my face into his neck, causing a nearly visible shiver to go down his spine at the feel of my breath on his skin.

"I want you to come back," I said quietly.

His brow furrowed and he shook his head.

"I can't."

I picked my head up and looked angrily at him. Before I could ask a question though, he looked sharply at me and said,

"I refuse to return so long as the Batcave is still in operation…there's too many bad memories there."

I growled again and said,

"Bruce Wayne is dead, Dick…the only person who uses the Batcave now is the one who's taken over for him."

Robin flinched at my use of his first name. Whenever I had used it in the past, he had been on the receiving end of one of my tirades, which eventually led to a physical fight between the two of us…God, I really hoped that didn't happen this time…I don't think I could live with myself if I hurt him after meeting up with him again after nearly nine years.

"Besides, the Batcave isn't filled with only bad memories…isn't that where you first found out about Bruce being Batman? And where he started training you to be Robin? Aren't those good memories? What about what _else_ transpired in the Batcave? Was _that_ a bad memory?!"

I was steadily filling with anger as I watched his seemingly emotionless face…even at the hint of our last encounter…just before he left…

I felt angry tears in my eyes but I refused to let them fall. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before speaking.

"What happened in the Batcave…was probably the single best thing that had ever happened to me next to becoming Robin…but…"

He opened his eyes and looked at me with that same emotionless look on his face.

"It shouldn't have happened…we both know that," he finished.

I inhaled sharply as if he had sucker punched me. It was too much for me to handle and the tears that had been teetering on the brim of my eyelid finally spilled over. By no means were they tears of sadness. On the contrary, they were tears of anger and hatred. Right now, I hated him. I hated every fiber of his being, from his stupid four-inch height advantage to his emotionless face…I wished that he had never become Robin…had never met me…had never…

I shoved him away with strength that surprised even me and looked away from him. I looked down at myself and saw the black cape he used to wear when he was still Robin had been wrapped around me.

I snorted and tore it off, standing there in nothing but my skin, and glared at him.

"As if you'd ever care about giving me a shred of dignity. You might as well have just left me for those thugs, they would probably have a _real_ good time with me," I said spitefully.

I looked around for my suit and, spotting it draped over a nearby chair, went over to grab it. Before I could touch it, however, I was pulled against a hard body, my arms pulled back behind me in an almost painful position.

"I'm not denying that it was too amazing for words, but you know as well as I that it shouldn't have happened…there were too many consequences to name aside from the fact that it made saying goodbye all the harder…"

I tried to elbow him in the ribs, but he had my arms pinned to his body. I growled and struggled but he held me tight and wouldn't let me budge.

"But don't ever…" he gave me a particularly hard squeeze that made my breath catch. "suggest that I don't care about you. You hear me?"

Quick as lightning, he turned me around and I realized with a shock that he had removed his mask and his blue eyes were blazing.

"You were the only one in that miserable place that I really cared about. Really felt a connection with…Yeah, Bruce was great, when he wasn't Batman, but you…you were the closest thing to family that I had. Don't ever say that I don't care about you…ever!"

He almost shouted the last word. I felt authority radiating from him in waves and realized that I couldn't deter him from whatever path he was on now…I never would be able to… he'd never come back.

I looked away and came to a split second decision.

"If you don't come back with me now, then I'll move on…find someone else…I've waited too many years to count for you to come to your senses…and I refuse to wait any longer," I said.

I looked up at him and saw that his emotionless mask, which he had hastily replaced after his outburst, was cracking around the edges. So I added,

"From this moment on, we're enemies…if I catch you anywhere near Wayne Manor; I will not hesitate to kill you."

He flinched and let me go quickly as if my skin suddenly burned his hands. I tried to ignore the hurt in his eyes by turning around and pulling my suit on. I picked up my mask (so very like his) placed it on my face and turned to look at him.

He looked like he was having a massive internal struggle; his brows were knitted and his lower lip stuck out a little. For a brief moment, I saw the little boy that Bruce had taken in; the acrobat who reached star status before even hitting the double digits…the Boy Wonder…

I turned toward the entrance pipe and started to walk…pleading him with my mind to follow me, talk to me, _look_ at me…

I blinked back tears and had to fight to not look over my shoulder.

Looking back at someone or something that you were leaving behind proved your weakness…but God was it hard to stare at the darkened pipe in front of me, when every muscle in my neck and back was telling me to turn around and look at him…run back to him and beat some sense into him like I used to when he was a kid…hold him close like I had been only moments before…

With a shaking hand, I pressed the button on the side of my mask, switching it to night vision. I could tell that he wanted to say something by the fluctuations in both the Broca and Wernicke areas of his brain, but he was having trouble forming the words into sentences.

The amygdale was giving off strong waves as well, the waves themselves being seen as colors. In this case it was bright orange, meaning he was feeling a strong negative emotion.

The brain stem was also out of whack by the sounds of his heavy breathing and pounding heart, indicating nervousness and possible fear; both emotions rarely shown by the former Boy Wonder on a regular basis.

I waited for the barest moment before stretching my arms and pushing off with my feet into the darkness of the tunnel.

I didn't spare a backward glance as I reached an open manhole and flew up and out into the city. It was nearing dawn, but I chose not to bother going to bed for school.

Not like I would be able to concentrate anyway…if my own amygdale and brain stem were anything to go by.

I landed in front of my brother's apartment building, but didn't go up. I tucked myself away in the alley near the front door, brought my legs to my chest, folded my arms over the tops of my knees, and sobbed into them.

He wasn't Robin anymore…he wasn't the teenage boy that I fell in love with…

That fact, above all else, is what hurt the most.


	4. Chapter 4

Beyond help

Author: KoriSevenEleven

Summary: Kori is a unique girl…she has morphing powers, she is actually well over 100 years old though she looks 16…and she's got some serious boy problems.

Chapter 02

Six months passed.

I hadn't gone out to search for him anymore, fearing more for his safety than my own.

Kevin had tried to get me looking for him again, saying that he needed to be brought back and shown the 'light'…whatever that meant. Ben tried too, as well as his cousin Gwen (though she was told that Robin was an ex- that I was still pining over)…but nothing that they said reached me.

Eventually, Kevin got sick of me moping around his and Ben's apartment and flat out told me that I could either get my act together and drag his sorry ass back here, or I could get out and not come back.

So, that's why I'm sitting on the edge of the pier, listening to the construction crew working behind me as they started putting up stands, kiosks and rides for the summer. I leaned back on the hot wood of the floor and look up at the cloudless blue sky.

'Pain, without love  
Pain, I can't get enough  
Pain, I like it rough  
'Cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all

You're sick of feeling numb  
You're not the only one  
I'll take you by the hand  
And I'll show you a world that you can understand  
This life is filled with hurt  
When happiness doesn't work  
Trust me and take my hand  
When the lights go out you will understand'

I knew that feeling all too well. Having come from a whole separate planet not even from this galaxy, I felt truly isolated. My father had been the head of the military for my home planet and my mother had been human.

'_Come on, going out into rainstorms is fun!'_

_A hand is held out._

_The hand is grasped as if letting go would tear him out of reality…because as far as he was concerned, it would._

'Pain, without love  
Pain, I can't get enough  
Pain, I like it rough  
'Cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all  
Pain, without love  
Pain, I can't get enough  
Pain, I like it rough  
'Cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all

Pain, without love  
Pain, I can't get enough  
Pain, I like it rough  
'Cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all  
Pain, without love  
Pain, I can't get enough  
Pain, I like it rough  
'Cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing  
Rather feel pain'

For a long time, I actually encouraged Robin's isolated attitude. Knowing how it feels to lose pretty much everything you care about in one fell swoop, I would, more often than not, join him in his sulking.

However, I broke out of it with help from Bruce and his rigorous training, and eventually pulled Robin into it, thinking it would help him too…fat lot of good that did.

'I know (I know I know I know I know)  
That you're wounded  
You know (You know you know you know you know)  
That I'm here to save you  
You know (You know you know you know you know)  
I'm always here for you  
I know (I know I know I know I know)  
That you'll thank me later'

He confided in me once that he truly felt as if I'd saved him…despite the fact that whenever we were sent out to patrol Gotham, he would do most of the fighting with me only joining in when needed.

When I asked him how I'd saved him, he simply replied,

"You were always there for me."

I had smiled and retorted,

"Yeah well, you can thank me later."

'Pain, without love  
Pain, can't get enough  
Pain, I like it rough  
'Cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all  
Pain, without love  
Pain, I can't get enough  
Pain, I like it rough  
'Cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all  
Pain, without love  
Pain, I can't get enough  
Pain, I like it rough  
'Cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all  
Rather feel pain than nothing at all  
Rather feel pain'

I wish that now I could help him. I knew that I was letting him down by ignoring him and it hurt to picture his face or imagine what he's feeling right about now…but I'd given him a choice to come back with me and help me and Terry protect Gotham, or risk a potentially deadly encounter in the future…

He chose to continue living in his pain filled world…

'If you feel so empty  
So used up, so let down  
If you feel so angry  
So ripped off so stepped on  
You're not the only one  
Refusing to back down  
You're not the only one  
So get up'

He wouldn't change his mind about coming back, that much I knew…

But I also knew that he knew that he and I were the same; we both felt like we've been stepped on, ripped off, used and let down…me by Kevin (though he's still currently making up for abandoning me) and Robin by Batman (because he was the side-kick whose name no one ever remembered while Batman was well known and received all the credit for a bust).

'Let's start a riot, a riot  
Let's start a riot  
Let's start a riot, a riot  
Let's start a riot

If you feel so filthy  
So dirty so fucked up  
If you feel so walked on  
So painful so pissed off  
You're not the only one  
Refusing to go down  
You're not the only one  
So get up'

A few months after Bruce first adopted Robin, back when he was still Dick Grayson; he was taken to a doctor who diagnosed him as having acute paranoia and chronic depression.

He was given medication to take for these 'diseases', but he never took them. He said that he didn't want to be dependant on drugs his whole life, since if an enemy found out, all they'd have to do is taint the pills and he'd be dead within minutes.

I agreed with him on that much, but it was hard to ignore his increasingly bad temper and isolation when his room was right across from mine and I could hear him up at all hours of the night; pacing, muttering to himself, swearing at the top of his voice and breaking what little possessions he had managed to get from the circus.

'Let's start a riot, a riot  
Let's start a riot  
Let's start a riot, a riot  
Let's start a riot

If you feel so empty  
So used up, so let down  
If you feel so angry  
Just get up

Let's start a riot, a riot  
Let's start a riot  
Let's start a riot, a riot  
Let's start a riot'

I rose to my feet and looked out into the sunset.

If he wanted to act the victim, play the part of angsty teenage superhero who has nothing good in his life, constantly dream of suicide just to escape his pain (I knew this from the massive brain waves emitting from the limbic system in his brain, meaning that he's still somewhere in Gotham, probably close by) them I'd help him escape it.

I turned my back on the bright colors of the setting sun, walked down the pier and toward the Manor where I knew Terry was just getting back form his nightly rounds.

If Batman wouldn't help me, then I'd do it myself.

Not only would I help Robin finally be free of his pain, but I would also help myself be rid of mine…

Killing two birds with one stone.


	5. Chapter 5

Beyond help

Author: KoriSevenEleven

Summary: Kori is a unique girl…she has morphing powers, she is actually well over 100 years old though she looks 16…and she's got some serious boy problems.

Chapter 03

The planning stage lasted only a few hours.

As predicted, Terry refused point blank to help me. His actual words were,

"No way am I helping you end both of your lives. If I get even the slightest whiff of a plan from you, then I'll try my damndest to stop it."

I had retorted with the question of what would his precious Dana (his girlfriend) think if he tried to stop me and wound up dying in the process.

"The Batsuit can take blows from Superman at full strength…I think I can handle whatever it is you can throw at me."

Okay, that's true, but can the Batsuit take a blow from a dozen or so thousand-pound bombs? Part of me thinks not.

Of course, I didn't actually tell him this, but what he doesn't know won't hurt him…great, now I'm thinking like one of his enemies.

So now I looked down at the passing city with my superior hawk vision, scouting out the best place to put the bombs. I needed somewhere that was easily accessible to me in my human morph, that was big enough to hold two people (me and Robin) and was far enough away from the city that innocent people didn't get caught in the blast.

I also had to make sure that no one of authority, Terry especially since he was already very suspicious of me, could easily get there. I haven't told Kevin or Ben what I'm planning on the basis that Kevin would employ all of the allies (along with himself and Ben) that they have acquired to stop the plan from being fulfilled.

I also didn't want him trying to play the hero by trying to 'rescue' me from the blast. I couldn't bare it if Kevin was killed because of my selfishness instead of me…the very thought made my stomach want to do backflips.

I knew that I would have to use a lot of energy to put up my Soundproofing and Invisibility veils, activate my Attack reading ability, maneuver both our bodies close enough to the explosion for our deaths to be painless (as painless as your body being ripped apart can hope to be)…

Not to mention, I have to persuade him to follow me to the site of the explosion, which really shouldn't be too hard since I know exactly which buttons to push to get him angry… but getting him angry enough to break his mask and get him to chase me while still keeping the physical fighting to a minimum would be the hard part.

There!

I looked down at an abandoned movie theatre and saw that it was falling apart. It was miles away from the most heavily populated area of Gotham, easily accessible for me in my human morph and would easily hold both me and Robin.

The only problems left now were getting the bombs to the site without being noticed (having already acquired the bombs from a run down military base, though not as many as I would have liked), and somehow finding a way to make it difficult for Terry as Batman to get there.

The latter was easy.

Simply disable the tracking chip in my suit (a low-level magnet would short-circuit it), completely cut the power to the Batcave so he couldn't track me any other way (Bruce was very intelligent, so I wouldn't be surprised if he had other ways of tracking me, any of the 'replacement' Robins, Batgirl, or Terry) cut the necessary wires on the Batmobile, Batplane, Batcopter (can't believe we still have that one) and the new version of the Batcycle (the original, of course, having been stolen by Robin for his quick getaway).

If worse came to worse, I could always morph a Pterodactyl and carry the bombs one by one to the site…yeah, 'cause the sudden reappearance of an extinct dinosaur carrying advanced human bombs wouldn't trigger a panic.

I had to find a way to get all seven bombs there inconspicuously.

Obviously the sewer lines were out of the question if Robin was still operating from the main circle which connected all of the lines to and from Gotham city. I wanted to keep him as out of the loop as possible until the actual event and him seeing me (or any of my morphs since he knows them all) carrying half ton bombs to the far reaches of the city would completely blow my cover.

I flew into a hole in the roof of the theatre and landed without a sound on what used to be the concession stand. I demorphed to my natural form, and pressed the button on my mask, filtering through all of the settings to make sure that no one was around.

Everything was clear…no human life for at least a mile.

I silently crept through the theatre, looking for a large enough place to house the bombs that was also out of sight range.

I walked into an actual theatre where the movies were shown and looked around. The seats were falling apart and there wasn't enough space between the rows to hide the bombs. I shook my head and looked around again.

There was a large screen still up which, for the most part, was in one piece. It was one of the older versions where it was just a large piece of canvas hung from a wire on the roof.

I shook my head again.

The shadows would be visible even in the dark and I couldn't let him get even the slightest inkling of my intentions.

I sighed and was just about to give up and search for a different site for the bombs when I happened to look up at the wall. There was a ventilation system low on the wall that could hold at least four of the seven bombs.

I bit my lip.

Hiding them there would be a really obvious plan.

'_A ninja always looks underneath the underneath.'_

My eyes lit up. Of course, why didn't I see it earlier? Robin may have been trained under the original Batman, but he hardly ever heeded Bruce's words…such as: 'Make sure that anything obvious is checked first and foremost…dangerous items are usually stored in an obvious place simply to catch you off guard…you have to think like your opponent.'

Robin may have been the Boy Wonder in the circus and in the physical fighting portion of a bust, but he was hardly considered a wonder in the planning and thinking department.

As for the other three bombs, I would go for the seats. I know that there isn't a lot of room, but one explosion will trigger the next, causing 'the Domino effect' as it was called, until all seven bombs were triggered.

"Perfect."

Around 45 minutes later, I had packed all the bombs into the Batcopter and activated the cloaking device. I flew out into the city and passed over all of the things I had come to love about it…mainly three of its inhabitants that I knew wouldn't understand.

I would definitely miss them all, but the sacrifice was going to help the city for the better. Kevin and Ben would get over my death and move on, as well as Terry…such is life.

"_Kori! What the hell's going on? Why do you have the Batcopter?"_

I looked down at the picture screen and saw Terry's angry visage. Of course, I had forgotten that there was a remote transmitter in the Batcave that could help him stay in contact with any of the vehicles.

"Would you believe me if I said I was doing nightly rounds?" I asked with a hint of playfulness.

"_Don't jerk me around, Kori! Answer the question before I'm forced to take action!"_

I sighed and said,

"I can't…you wouldn't understand."

"_I wouldn't under…wait, is this about that stupid suicide mission?"_

I clamped my mouth closed and looked back out of the windshield. He obviously correctly interpreted my silence because he started on a tirade about how I was crazy for doing this, tons of people would miss me…yatta, yatta…

I looked at the screen and said,

"Terry…shut up."

I flipped the screen off and pressed a button that would automatically disable the tracking device on the copter.

I landed behind the theatre, cut the engine and quickly morphed an elephant. Using my trunk, I carefully pried open the cargo hold and pulled the bombs out, standing them on end.

I made four trips into the back of the theatre where I had found a large hole that could easily fit me. It led right into the auditorium I was storing them in, which I was thankful for.

After I'd set them down onto the floor under the vent, I demorphed then morphed a gorilla. I pulled the loose vent cover off and carefully pushed the first bomb into the shaft.

I was right in assuming that it would hold four. They fit easily with almost three inches space from the end of one bomb to the next. I placed the vent cover back on, then proceeded to place the remaining three end to end in the row of seats closest to the vent.

When I had finished, I demorphed and looked around.

I remembered this theatre vividly.

I had seen it in Bruce's dreams many times. It was the same theatre that his parents had been walking home from the night they were murdered in front of his eyes.

'How fitting', I thought. 'The place that Bruce had lost his parents would also be the place where he lost his two most treasured human companions…though this time, it wouldn't be to a murderer…it would be at the hands of one of the companions'.

I closed my eyes and said a silent prayer for Bruce's parents, for him, for Ace the Bat-hound, for my fallen sensei Kakashi, for Dick Grayson…the little boy who died with his parents and left a shell of his former self behind, for Ethan…the baby who never had a chance to grow up…

A tear escaped my eye as I remembered holding the little limp body in my arms…the son that Robin didn't and never will know he had…

I brushed the tear away and opened my eyes.

Now it was time to send the message.

I morphed a barn owl and flew out of the gap in the wall, heading for the sewer main. I flew silently down the manhole, maneuvering through the pipes until my enhanced vision spotted the opening.

I landed quietly on the lip of the pipe and looked around. The main circle seemed empty except for the bed I had recovered on six months prior, a small nightstand, a desk with a wooden chair and a laptop computer that Robin most likely used to keep up with the criminals that he had either caught or was looking for.

I blinked and activated my mind reading ability. Just as I had expected, Robin was laying almost immobile on the bed. His mind was free of dreams, meaning that he was in a deep sleep. His suit looked looser on him, as if he had lost weight, and his mask was off, resting on the floor next to his bed.

His eyes were closed and his long black tresses were laid out under his head on the pillow, surrounding his face like a darkened halo. He was paler than the last time I had seen him…which meant that he was on his own path of self-destruction.

His computer was open but from what I could see of the screen it was blank. I took a deep breath and flew silently down onto the floor, my talons making only the slightest noise. I quietly morphed back and stood. He didn't seem to hear me nor even be aware of my presence in his makeshift room.

I quickly erected a one way soundproofing veil and walked over to the computer. I jiggled the mouse a little and the screen popped up. There was a box that asked for a password, which threw me off a little. It was as if he expected me to try something like this.

I tried a few different passwords that made sense for him to use, such as Batman, Wayne, Robin and Nightwing to no avail. I bit my lip and chanced a glance over my shoulder. What would Robin use as his password?

I looked back at the screen after a moment's contemplation and typed in 'trapeze'.

Nothing.

So I tried 'acrobat'.

Nothing.

Of course, he didn't see himself as Dick Grayson of the Flying Graysons anymore. He'd essentially left his circus life behind. I typed in 'boy wonder', testing my theory. It was proven correct when the password was rejected.

I furrowed my brow, a thought occurring to me. I had once read a book where something similar to this happened, and the password to the hero's computer was the name of his first love.

I looked at Robin again. I didn't want to think that he still cared about me after all these years…it would make my mission all the harder.

I turned back to the monitor and typed in 'Kori Grayson', sending out a silent prayer that it wasn't the right password.

My prayers went unheard as a new window popped up, this time asking for a retina scan. I had only morphed Robin once back when he was 16 to get inside information on the leader of an international smuggling ring (he had come down with pneumonia and Bruce refused to leave him alone).

The thought of morphing into him made my stomach do back flips.

If he caught me (he could still see me since I hadn't put up an invisibility veil) then I would have to rely on his speed to get me out in one piece. I gulped and began my morph.

Halfway through, though, I remembered that he had taken a blood sample from me before he left so that he could stay young and fight crime forever. Under normal circumstances, my alien blood would cause death, but for some reason, it hadn't killed him.

I looked down at my half-completed morph and reversed it. I pulled my mask up and pressed the designated key, causing a webcam-like device to open up from the desk. I raised an eyebrow. How he managed to get his hands on state of the art technology down here was beyond me and I didn't have time to ask.

I put my eye level with the scanner and a beam moved horizontally and vertically over my eye. The computer processed the information and beeped saying that it wasn't compatible.

I cursed. 'Looks like I'll have to morph anyway'.

The morph went smoothly. The only difference about his body back then and the body I had now was that I had on my own suit. I glanced over my shoulder and saw that he was still sleeping silently.

'Good', I thought. 'Because I don't want him to see me like this'.

I redid the retina scan and this time it worked. I kept the mask pulled over my face and watched as the screen showed a new image. It was the face of the man who had murdered his parents.

That's what he'd been dwelling on. I looked in the lower right-hand corner and saw that it said 'Case closed; charged with death penalty; carried out 06-12-2000.'

I shook my head and minimized the screen, pulling open a blank document. I went over what I was going to say in my head, and carefully typed it out.

'**I'll be waiting for you at the city limits where Bruce's most painful memory occurred 8:00 p.m. tomorrow night. If you don't show, then I'll be forced to use persuasion in the most painful way available.**

**Come as Nightwing. **

**I'll be waiting.**

**-Kori.**

**P.S: Yes, I hacked into your computer. Seriously, putting my first name with your last? Very cliché, Boy Wonder, didn't expect it of you. Oh and by the way, your retina scanning was too easy. Remember the winter of '88? **

**One more thing. Stop obsessing over Zucco. He's dead and gone. Get over it.'**

The last line was a little harsh, but I needed to be sure that he would come to me or else the plan wouldn't be worth squat.

I heard rustling behind me and low groaning. I turned and looked at Robin, thinking that he was waking up, only to see his brows furrowed and a fine layer of sweat on his forehead.

He was slowly emerging from his dreamless sleep and entering the REM-cycle. I quickly morphed back to my own body and, against my better judgment, walked over to him.

His limbic system was putting out waves like crazy.

The amygdale was a bright fire red…the worst color it could get…meaning that he was seeing violence in his dream.

I knelt down and pulled off the glove on my right hand. I gently touched his forehead with my index and middle fingers and sent a stream of positive energy into his frenzied brain.

Almost immediately, he calmed down. His brows unknitted, his breathing and heart rate slowed to their normal rate and the groaning was silenced.

I pulled my glove back on and gently rubbed the tip of my nose against his, a gesture that was used by us years ago to calm the other, give them a boost of reassurance.

I stood and watched as he drifted off into a more pleasant dream. I dropped the soundproofing veil, ran silently to the bar surrounding the circle and jumped up onto it. With the grace of a jaguar I jumped up into the pipe I had come from and ran back up it to the manhole.

Now to return the Batcopter and hide out in the theatre until tomorrow night.

I climbed back into the copter and started the engine, reactivating the cloaking device. I flew it over the slowly lightening city and into the Batcave. I typed a message into the onboard computer, sent it to Terry's e-mail address, hopped out, morphed a barn owl and flew out.

'**Don't interfere, Terry. The last thing I want is another casualty. Besides, you're responsible for Gotham's safety now…the city needs you more than I do.**

**See you in the next life, Batman.'**


	6. Chapter 6

Beyond help

Author: KoriSevenEleven

Summary: The final battle is here, but can Kori fulfill her mission when she sees her old flame up close and personal, or will she have a change of heart?

Chapter 03

I stood outside the theatre at five minutes to 8:00 in my normal morph. I had completely forgone my suit, only wearing my mask to hide my identity from anyone who happened to see me. I wouldn't be morphing in this fight, having resigned myself to using the most powerful martial arts that I knew…maybe even street fighting if it came to that.

Besides, the suit would get destroyed in the explosion…and I didn't want Terry dwelling on finding the scattered bits of it.

I had removed it two hours ago and returned it to the special case in my room at Wayne manor…the room that had once been both Robin's and Bruce's.

The time ticked nearer, leaving only three minutes until the showdown. I was vaguely reminded of the song 'Final Countdown' by Europe as I watched the seconds tick by in my mind's eye.

I heard running footsteps and looked around. I had written an e-mail to my brother telling him of my intentions a mere half-hour before from an Internet Café, but there was no way that he could have read it already…could he?

My worst fears were confirmed as I saw him pull up in his car with Terry in his Batsuit running alongside it. I cursed and moved into the shadows of the alley next to the theatre, knowing it was no good since the mask Terry wore had infrared vision, along with ultraviolet light sensors.

I held my breath, only giving small wafts of air through my nose as I watched them come closer.

How Kevin and Terry had deduced my whereabouts was a mystery since I hadn't told them in either of their e-mails where the fight would be…but I must have missed a tracking device on my mask somewhere.

"You sure she's here, McGinnis? 'Cause if she ain't you'll be in a world of hurt."

I almost snorted. Typical Kevin…overprotective brother…despite the fact that he was younger and I should be the one protecting him.

"Yes, she's here…that letter she left for him specifically said that she'd be here."

I gasped in spite of myself.

'How the hell had they gotten a hold of that letter? They weren't there! They didn't…'

Then it clicked.

Robin had given it to them.

I clenched my fist and grit my teeth. He wanted to avoid a fight with me by giving the letter to the person he knows I'm closest to, knowing that they'd intervene.

Edging backwards toward the back of the alley where I could sneak into the theatre and find a suitable hiding place, I failed to notice the shadow land behind me until I was grabbed from behind.

My mouth was quickly covered with a black gloved hand and a voice whispered softly in my ear.

"Very cliché, choosing this old place as the site of a battle…didn't expect it of you."

I gasped behind the hand and turned my head. I saw the masked face and long black hair that I was familiar with before he nodded toward the back of the building.

He wasn't avoiding a fight after all. He just wanted witnesses.

I followed him willingly after he let me go and just as I reached the back of the alley, I accidentally kicked an empty liquor bottle into the brick wall, causing it to shatter. Robin looked sharply at me as the voices of my brother and Terry got closer.

He quickly pulled me up onto the building's fire escape and we climbed almost silently to the roof.

"Good going, Kori. Just alert them to our presence, why don't you?" he snapped.

"If you hadn't sent the letter to them, then they wouldn't be here to alert!" I retorted sharply.

He growled and pulled me into the hole on the roof. We landed quietly in the lobby and I quickly took off for the auditorium, hoping to get him to chase me (having already armed the bombs at 6:15 to go off in exactly two hours).

As expected, he followed, not knowing that I was leading him to his demise.

I stopped just underneath the vent and turned to look at him. He had stopped as well, probably sensing that something was amiss. To deter him from checking, I threw a punch wildly, knowing he'd dodge.

He did, and for about eight minutes that followed, we fought.

It had started out simple enough; both throwing punches and kicks, each not wanting to really hurt the other. Until I furrowed my brow and started getting more and more vicious eventually landing a sharp kick to his side.

He retaliated by using his staff to knock my legs out from under me, then jumping onto me the second I landed.

I growled and tried to head-butt him, but that's when he did something unexpected.

He took off his mask.

I felt my breath hitch as I looked at him.

Of course, he knew me better than I knew myself (and vice-versa) so it was only natural that he knew my weaknesses…himself being one of them.

"You deliberately called me to this place for some reason known only to you…but I don't care about that…what I want to know is…why?" he asked.

I bit my lip and looked away. He loosened his hold on me by a fraction, but it was enough for me to wriggle out from under him. I stood and looked at him, remembering everything about him that I had loved…still loved.

"This is a place of remembrance…" I said simply.

He looked at me, unsure, so I elaborated.

"Bruce's parents died here at the hands of a murderer in front of his very eyes…but you knew that already of course…

He saw a lot of you in himself…both had exceptional talent early in life…both lost your only family because of a gangster…both saw your parents die…not to mention the physical resemblance…"

He looked at me with a look of comprehension.

"When he took you in, I'll admit, I was jealous at first. You and he were so alike, whereas he and I were completely different, meaning that you both got along better…I didn't want to give up my father to anyone else…even if he wasn't my real father…

But eventually, I accepted the fact that I wasn't the only one who needed him and warmed up to you… a lot, if you remember…"

I closed my eyes as pictures of our first meeting played through my mind.

The look on our faces when we realized that we would be competing for the attention of our father figure…

The way we smiled at each other when I pulled him out into the thunderstorm years later…

The very passionate good-bye that took place on the floor of the Batcave…

The last one brought tears to my eyes. They fell in rivulets as I looked up at Robin's glazed look.

Whether it was because he too was remembering them in vivid detail, or I had accidentally streamed them into his mind, I couldn't tell.

I realized then that, despite all of my counter measures, I had ultimately given in to the few pleasant memories of Robin that I had locked away in the deepest recesses of my mind.

There were only two minutes left on the bombs…

Oh, God…what am I doing?

I felt my heart rate and breathing increase as I processed the time limit.

"You have to get out," I said.

He looked confused and didn't move.

"Why?"

I groaned and said,

"Because I planted seven half-ton bombs in the theatre! You need to leave now!"

His eyes widened a mere fraction before a determined look came over him.

"Not without you," he said.

"This isn't the time to play hero, Dick! You need to get out now!"

He walked toward me with determined steps, though I could see him trembling slightly as he came to a stop in front of me.

"I'm not playing hero," he said as he slipped his mask back onto his face. "I am a hero."

Without so much as a warning, I was pulled against his hard body and held tight. I could feel his slightly elevated heart rate and the trembling that had become more pronounced.

A short beep indicated that the timer was counting down from one minute.

He tilted my face up and said,

"At least now, we'll be going together."

Despite the situation we were in, I smiled. Trust him to even make having your body ripped apart by bombs sound better.

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

Without hesitation, I leaned up and kissed him…just as the first bomb went off.

Six chain explosions followed that one and I was dimly aware of pain in my body.

But black was all I saw as the dust settled on the scene.

I didn't hear the screams…didn't see the torn up looks on the faces of my friends…

All I saw as I blacked out into the deep unconsciousness of death was a flash of baby blue.


End file.
